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Locke urges hapless Hearts to dig in

Heart of Midlothian boss Gary Locke has implored his players to dig in so they can regain some confidence.

The Jambos suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Kilmarnock on Boxing Day, leaving them eight points behind second-bottom Ross County, and in dire need of a victory.

After the match, Locke said he wanted his Hearts players to stick together after suffering 11 losses in the past 14 outings.

"You could see there's probably one or two players there that are short on confidence but if you play here you've got to be brave, you've got to take the ball, and that was one of the disappointing things because we can pass the ball," he said.

"But, for me, I felt there were too many times when a Hearts player had the ball that he didn't have enough options.

"It is a lack of confidence but the only way to get through that is by digging in, and we've got to do that."

About the author

Andrew Slevison is an avid sports fan, particularly of the world game. The Melbourne, Australia native, who has spent time living in London and travelling South America, takes a keen interest in the English Premier League and Major League Soccer and rates his best live footballing moment as the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.